COMING HOME

Chapter 28

~~For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favour from the Lord.
                       Proverbs 8:35(NKJV)~~

By the time Tobi and Mrs Ade got there, the door was closed against the heap of ten toes standing outside the door waiting for the village chief's daughter to birth her second child.

'Follow me Tobi, the back door.' Mrs Ade skipped steps as they walked round the building trying to get inside the house.

'Mrs Ade, it's a mud house, only one entrance.'

'There's a way, I just know it. Let's wait some more.' They stood silently  before the door opened. The wall before them started to move into another wall quirking but not too loud to call attention. They stood facing pitch black when a man appeared.

'Shigo ciki!' His deep voice shook and he entered into the room.

Tobi set her foot down and the hair on her neck and arms stood on ends, her nose twerked and she had to force her lips together to keep from shouting out. Mrs Ade dug into her bag bringing out two white handkerchiefs and gave Tobi one.

'How long?'

'4:00am this morning.' He replied in Hausa.

Tobi heard the flick of matchstick and the man lit several candles. The decomposing smell and the convoy of  flies going for their lunch changed the position of her small intestine and stomach.

'Tobi.' Tobi's eyes rolled involuntarily as she walked closer to Mrs Ade. The handkerchief on her lips sunk into her mouth when she reached Mrs Ade. The placenta of a woman laid bare on the floor engulfed itself with the blood of the woman. The cry of a child shook them from their position and the man ran to soothe the new born. Painfully, Tobi strained her ears wishing for their outside companions.

'What do we do? She has been dead since morning.' Tobi spoke into Mrs Ade's ears.

'You tell me. I'm confused as to why the chief would allow his pregnant child give birth here and without a mid wife.' They stopped talking to face the man.

The light gave a dim reflection to his face and everytime he caught their eyes, he'd stare at the dead girl again. Tobi picked up the candle and walked to him.

'Tell us sir, what really happened here?' He yanked the candle from Tobi flinging it to a wall.

'I'm under oath.' He replied in Hausa.

'You can speak English, tell us what happened?' Mrs Ade pleaded.

The man dropped the sleeping baby he was holding in a wrap of clothes then faced them.

'She committed sin.' His pointed his broken index to the girl. 'She carry baby for a matalauta without the Chief agree. He got angry, she leave, I finally see her.'

They lowered their gazes. 'Did your Chief know? What happened to the man she ran away with?'

The man squeezed his face forcing his eyelids together. 'You heal people.' He gestured to Tobi. 'I see you do it, do it! Bring her to me! Her lover, he's gone forever. It's better like that.' He replied. The stench from the room wasn't having its initial repulse on her senses after hearing him.

'You killed them!' Mrs Ade barked sending her hand across his cheeks. He backed away from her reach.

'She committed sin!' He shouted.

'And you want us to pray for her to hide from what you have done!' Mrs Ade forced the pile of saliva down her throat waiting for a reply.

'Yes! She committed sin and they ran away with another man's soon to be wife!'

His hand shook pouting behind them. Tobi's eyelids widened until her skin got stiff. Two legs she hadn't noticed before laid unmoving on the floor close to the girl. 'Mrs Ade?' Tobi called folding the hem of her gown.

Mrs Ade followed the direction Tobi's hands pointed to. Without time to process her sight, the calloused palm of the man pinned her to her position. Her face broke out in a sweat as her body the air with her arched back before being sent to the farthest wall. 'Ah!' She yelled touching the ground head first.

Tobi moved back with her half dead brain stopping when she got in front of a wall, the last candle burned out. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness, she closed them when she heard the heavy breathing and growl few inches from her feet. Mrs Ade cry caused Tobi to fall back against the wall.

Was she going to die today? Mrs Ade's sobbing voice resounded audibly and thankfully the bangs on the front door had returned. Would her service to God be only for six months? Her plans for evangelism were all an illusion now. Was this a result of her past sins to die like this, if so Mrs Ade shouldn't be dismantled on the floor. She became aware of her surroundings again. Why hadn't he struck her yet? Biting the bottom of her lips, she opened her mouth to pray to die silently but the half said words were for the man.

"Dear Lord, have mercy on this man. A power he doesn't realize controls him. Take control over his heart and mind in Jesus name. I place him in your care. He's never going to forgive himself if he kills two more persons to the ones he's already committed. I also pray Mrs Ade is fine." She dug her teeth into her lips swallowing the metallic taste, veins popped up by the sides of her forehead and wells of salty water gushed out of her eyes. "Have mercy Lord!"

'Friend, forgive me.' Tobi opened her eyes to a man kneeling at her feet. Unlike before, he bent his back till his lips touched her feet. When he rose his head again, he crawled to a corner and folded into a ball. Letting out her breath she ran to Mrs Ade.

'I'm so sorry!' She pushed her hand between Mrs Ade's back and the wall to get her sitting straight.

'I'm fine now, I thought I was going to die. Help me up, let me open the door.'

'You want to leave me with this crazy man?'

'No, just to open the door but you need to distract him. For the child. Please Tobi!'

'What can I do for him?'

'Pray! Please go to him, I'll be alright, I need a few minutes.'

Nodding, Tobi rested on the wall to gather enough wits before going to him. 'You were the person she was supposed to marry?' He didn't reply but the stiffness of his breath gave her her answer. 'Can I pray for you?' Green and blue veins surrounded every part of his body she saw. Forcing her wobbling knees and her sweaty palm to the floor she prayed. 'Forgive him Lord...'

Twenty minutes later the front door left its hinges and two angry men walked into the room holding machetes.

They scanned the room maximising natural sunlight. 'What have you done? Why have you done this to the Chief?' The older of the two men asked dragging him by his shirtsleeves outside.

Voices from around them prevented their communication so Tobi picked their bags and helped till they were far from the noise. 'What happened?'

Tobi's chin lifted revealing complete set of teeth. 'He gave his life to Christ.' She giggled as she swung her arms around Mrs Ade. 'He said he'd never felt better, he knows his rage is gone.'

Mrs Ade nodded struggling to walk. 'How did you ever know something was going on?'

'What, you're asking me that question? The loud shouts of the people should have said enough.' Mrs Ade took one more step and stopped.

'But how did you know there was a door? The people's noises couldn't have given you a clue.'

'God brought us here, from the moment we left home I knew today's outreach was going to be different and I clearly heard, "Go to the back and wait!" Tobi didn't respond to that. 'You've become a bit popular round here, he saw you and knew who you were.

She smirked, she wasn't still able to get her heartbeat to slow down.

"It's time to go home!"